Letter from George Por

dear fellow commoners,

James Quilligan will come to London in two weeks to facilitat a [ http://www.schoolofcommoning.com/content/what-role-commons-economy 12-day/12-seminar series on The Emergence of a Commons-based Economy], the launch of which will be a seminar on [ http://www.meetup.com/School-of-Commoning-Events/events/61528212 Political Economy and the Inclusive Commons, held on May 8 in the House of Commons, hosted by a Member of the Parliament]. 

We, at the School of Commoning, are both thrilled by the new field of possibilities for the commons, which this seminar series will open,  and our small team is stretched to our limits with what it takes to organize and coordinate 12 high-profile events in 12 days, including getting the attention of and dealing with the media.

I write you about all this because we’re calling out to fellow commoners both here in the UK, and around the world to help with this groundbreaking initiative. We believe that although these events will take place in the UK, their impact will not be limited to one country. Moving the Commons into the forefront of the national discussion in the UK can have some impact on its status everywhere, particularly, if you get involved. People from various countries started registering to attend some of the seminars. I think they had a good intuition about the portent of the event, as a place of both collaborative theory development, and building a web co-productive relationships.

The Convergence for a Commons-based Economy, a commons for the Commons, which we plan to start forming at the concluding event of the Quilligan seminar series, will be open to international membership. If we muster enough technical capacity during the seminars, we’ll also broadcast them live via streaming webvideo. At minimum, we want to film the events, create an e-book of its materials, and develop an interactive knowledge map, adding up to an online toolkit for the transition to a commons-based economy, which will be available worldwide, free of charge. 

To do all what we want to do, we do need your help. We’ve just launched a crowdfunding site that explains in more depth what we try to accomplish if funds permit. You can find it [ http://www.indiegogo.com/CommonsEconomyRising here]. If you can please support the campaign in moving towards its goal. Even a small amount can help. If you feel inspired by this work, you can also get involved by emailing commons-friendly colleagues and friends. Please tell them why do you think it is an important initiative or use a customized, personalized version of our attached press release.

Press Release

Commons in the House of Commons

— for immediate release, 23 April 2012 —

The Commons are the emblem of the natural, material, social and intellectual resources that each generation passes on to the next. On May 8th, the House of Commons will host the launch of a 12-seminar series on the Emergence of a Commons-based Economy, jointly organized by the Christian Council for Monetary Justice and the School of Commoning.

The seminars, facilitated by James Quilligan, worldwide renowned commons economist, will explore the understanding of the Commons from various inter-related perspectives, reflecting the areas of focus of the organisations convening each event, the list of which includes the Civil Society Forum, the Finance Innovation Lab, the Institute for Public Policy Research, the New Economics Foundation, St. James’s Piccadilly, and the Westminster Hub.

Each seminar will concentrate on a distinctive question such as.

• How would a commons approach shape the future of finance?
• What power does the concept of the “commons” have for creating a world that sees wellbeing, social justice and environmental limits as central to its modus operandi?
• Can science of complex systems help us manage the local and global commons better?
• How can we adjust our organizational models, systems and ways of working to better steward the commons?

More details are available on the programme’s crowdfunding site: http://www.indiegogo.com/CommonsEconomyRising

A full description and infographic is available on the event’s website: http://www.schoolofcommoning.com/content/what-role-commons-economy

One Speaker:

James Bernard Quilligan has been an analyst and administrator in the field of international development since 1975. He has served as policy advisor and writer for many international politicians and leaders, including Pierre Trudeau, François Mitterand, Edward Heath, Julius Nyerere, Olof Palme, Willy Brandt, Jimmy Carter and HRH Prince El Hassan of Jordan. He has also been an economic consultant for agencies in more than 30 countries. Quilligan is a co-founder of Global Commons Trust, where he is working with colleagues to develop a Secretariat to provide research, support and publicity for a new international commission on the global commons. He has also launched a lobbying effort, Commons Action for the United Nations (CAUN), which has been successful in introducing the concepts of the commons into UN discussions and documents. Quilligan’s articles have appeared in the International Herald Tribune, the Manchester Guardian, the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Der Spiegel, the Economist, World Press Review, Tikkun, and other books and publications. He is also a musician and composer.   During his visit in London, 7th-20th May, Quilligan will be available for interview by qualified media outlets. To arrange for an interview opportunity or for further information, please contact:

Anna Betz, Co-founder of the School of Commoning
anna@schoolofcommoning.com
Tel: 0208 9899940
Mob: 07731 584358